Shoe upper and the like, and the art of finishing the edges thereof



F. w. MEmcK. SHOE UPPER AND THE LIKE` AND THE ART 0F FINISHING THEEDGES THEREOF.

APPLICA-TION'FILED OCT. 6| 1921.

Patented Feb.'14, 1922.

fnv/6723.07".- GM/Qz M 5 Me:

@m95 @Mk c/Qzorney.

1 UNITED sTATEs.

PATENT oFFlcE. 'l

FRANK We MERRICK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

snoE UPPER AND THE LIKE, AND THE ART or rnvrsnme THE EDGEs THEEEOF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14:, 1922.

V.Application filedOctober 6, 1921. Serial No. 505,686.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKIV. MERRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bostomin the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoe Uppers and the like, and thefArt of Finishing the Edges Thereof, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention is applicable in 'themanufacture of shoe-uppers and other articles composed of soft fleaibleY leather, of the class in which an upper has combined therewith a lining or facing strip, also of leather, applied to the inner side of the upper.

The object of the invention is to improve the character and appearance of the laminated free edge of an upper or the like having a lining, facing strip, or other thickness or thicknesses of leather combined therewith.

My invention produces a laminated margin composed of two or more thicknesses of leather stitched together and trimmed so that their edges register with each other, and which is treated and burnished so that the edges of the different thicknesses become compressed together and united, and so knit and welded together (figuratively speaking), and rounded, compacted, and polished by the burnishing action, that no parting between the thicknesses is distinguishable, and the edge appears solid, undivided, and integral.

The drawings illustrate in Fig. l a portion of a shoe-upper, sufcient for the purposes of the following explanation. y

Fig.` 2 shows in cross section two pieces of leather which are stitched together at corresponding edges thereof.

Fig. 3 shows the same pieces after having been finished in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the usual finished condition of the top edge of an upper and the leather lining or inner facing thereof.

Referring first to Fig. 4:, the customary manner of finishing off the top edges of an upper and its lining or inner facing consists in skiving off the upper margin 'of the upper leather l, as indicated in Fig. 4, then apply# ing cementitious matter to the skived or scarfed surface, then doubling or folding the thinned margin over upon itself as in Fig. ff, and subjecting the doubled or folded portion to pressure. The thus prepared upper leather, and the lining or facing piece of leather 2, then are placed together and fastened to each other by a line of stitches 3 close to the line of fold of the upper leather and the edge of the lining or facing. The margin of the lining or facing'leather is trimmed off close to the said line of stitches, usually simultaneously with the stitching.

Drawbacks of an upper finished off atv its edge in the manner'illustrated in Fig. 4l are the `obviously divided state of the said edge, the plainly visible cut edge of the lining or facing, which differs in color andchai acter from the fold constituting the edge of the upper leather, and the tendency of the top edge of the lining or facing piece to become separated and pressed away from the said edge of the upper leather.

In accordance with my invention I place together the piece 1 of upper leather and he piece 2 of leather constituting a lining or facing for the former, with said piecerl in unskived condition. I then stitch them together as at 3 (Fig. 2) and trim the two thicknesses close to the line of stitching, leaving the united margins registering with each other and in substantially the state in which they are shown in Fig. 2. Further treatment consists in applying coloring and adhesive polishing material to the combined edges, compressing the edge-portions firmly together, and while kthe compression is maintained subjecting tliem to an effective burnishing action. For example, these operations may be performed along the edges a, Z), and c in Fig. l. A suitable machine for effecting the necessary edge-compression and burnishing is shown and described in United States Letters Patent for improvement in leather edge finishing machines and methods therefor, No. 1,339,776, granted to me under date of May 11, 1920.

The compression and burnishing, conjoined with the application of color and adhesive polishing material, (which may be glue and water, or Celluloid solution), unites together the edge-portions of the two pieces of leather, rounds them, compacts and knits or welds the two edgeportions together into one undivided or integral edge, as indicated in Fig. 3, and gives a hard, finished, surface. The result is a finished edge of superior and attractive character.

The said finished edge is thin and neat, as will be apparent from Fig. 3; being thinner than has been produced by any other mode of edge-finishing known to me. It

is not, as in the case of the edge in Fig.`

4, equal in thickness to the sum of the thicknesses of the component pieces of leather. The compression Which is -coincident with the burnishing reduces the thickness, as indicated in Fig. 3, and very materially improves the appearance of the finished article, giving the effect of thinness and lightness, so that the finished edge resembles that of one thickness of leather.

lVhat is claimed as the invention is,-

l. A shoe-upperor the like combination of tWo or more pieces of soft flexible leather placed together surface to surface, having a laminated margin composed of ka plurality of thicknesses of leather united by a line of stitches close alongside and parallel with the edges thereof, and in a treated and burnished state, with the edges of said thicknesses knit or Welded together by the compression and burnishing action into one undivided or integral finished edge. v

2. The art of edge-finishing shoe-uppers and other like combinations oftwo or more pieces of soft flexible leather placed Atogether ysurface to surface and fastened together along their margins, which consists mapplying adhesive or binding and finishing material to the registering edge-portions of said pieces, compressing the combined pieces in the direction ofthe thickness thereof, and burnishing the edge-portions While thus compressed, so as thereby to round, compact, unite and Weld the edge-portions into an undivided or integral edge and produce a hard finished surface thereon.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK W. MERRICK. Witnesses: CHAs. F. RANDALL, ELLEN O. SPRING. 

